Cordings Piccadilly - Autumn Shirt Promotion!!

What-ho Gents!  Cordings of Piccadilly is running their Autumn shirt promotion again this year and I wanted to give all my readers and followers the head-up to go check it out.  The Deal is 3 shirts for £120, which represents a substantial savings of £29 per shirt!  This includes all their shirts in stock including cotton flannels, a wide selection of Tattersalls, needle corduroy shirts and even their classic linen shirts.  I'm getting 3 more this year as soon as I can decide which!

Last year, at their promotion I bought 3 shirts, which featured in a blog post back in February (one tattersall and 2 herringbone weave cotton flannels).  I had never purchase Cording shirts before and I was concerned that they had described their cut as follows:

'Our shirts have a traditional generous cut; we haven't skimped on cloth, ensuring ease of movement.'

I had mistakenly read into this description that their shirts were going to be billowy and oversized, but that (happily) turned out NOT be the case at all. While not what I would describe as super-slim, the cut was I think a nice medium slim and the main difference is that their shirts are cut very long so that they will remain in place and not become untucked throughout the day.

The overall quality is really outstanding.  Made with Mother of pearl buttons!   Of nicely weighted cloths and well stitched with double fold-over seams throughout. These shirts will certainly not bust a seam while in the field on peg!  The Tattersall is a cotton and merino wool blend for extra warmth  - perfect for the colder months here in Bavaria.  The Sky Blue and Olive Herringbone shirts are beautiful brushed cotton and again are cozy warm when the temps drop.  These shirts having a brushed texture finish don't take crisp ironing like a standard cotton or linen shirt, but they also don't generally hold wrinkles either, which is nice of all-day wear.

These photos were taken today.  I think these shirts still look great and have held up well even after a year in my rotation (Although admittedly, they were stored away over the Summer months):

I tend to pair mine with knitwear and tweed as the temps drop and they, as one would expect, do so with aplomb.

Merkur Safety Razer from Solingen Germany

Having made the switch in January this year from my old Gillett Mach whatever razors (which I had used as long as I can remember) after Gillett's publication of the Anti-man SJW diatribe of a commercial about 10 months ago (I could link to that hateful and racist Commerical here, but I'll not give them any more additional publicity).  My Instagram quote at the time was:

'Due to all the SJW nonsense from the latest Gillett commercial, I've taken the decision to chuck my Mach3, which I have used for many years and take up the traditional wet shave with a safety razor (my grandfather used one). From one of the many heritage razor manufacturers right here in Deutschland, this Merkur model 23C safety razor has had many great reviews and here.  Having ordered it with a set of Platinum blades, delivery took only a couple of days directly from the Merkur website.  The shave is very fine, as while it requires a bit more attention and finesse than my old Mach 3, I think the results and pretty great.  Score 1 against man-hating SJWs!'

Suffice to say that my feelings about my former razer company have not softened over the intervening months, but my love of using a safety razor has only deepened.  This Merkur safety razor has performed fantastically and has been a real pleasure.  Indeed, it makes shaving whether at the washroom basin or in my bath a real event and a true pleasure.  The Merkur 23C is a closed comb razor, which offers less contact with the skin and is considered 'Safer' than an open comb razor for a review of both an open and closed comb razor follow this link.  As a beginner to shaving with a safety razor, I had no desire to butcher myself, so I went with the less aggressive style closed razor.  This razor is solidly made and engineered as one would expect from a German product.  Although this is not what I would call a 'Luxury' razor made with fancy handle or materials - just chrome covered steel, with a longer handle than usual and is a great starting razor for new users of a safety razor.  Having carefully cleaned and inspected the razor after 10months of use, I can find no evidence of rust or other corrosion whatsoever, which is good, because I do hope to be using it for many years to come.

As a natural collector, I have considered buying a couple of more fancy razor handles but frankly, I have found no need to go there yet. 

Would I recommend the switch?  Yes, yes I would - not only is the shaving experience generally improved, but I've saved a lot of money over the past 10 months or so from switching away from the old cartridge system razors.  

Me after a close shave!

  

Perfect Boot Option for Winter - Meermin's Dark Brown Softcalf with Shearling Lining!

Looking for a great winter boot that is both cozy warm, can be worn well with dressier outfits and affordable is not as easy as one would expect.  I had been an admirer of Meermin Mallorca for a while but had never taken the plunge, however, then they posted up these boots last January, I finally broke down and ordered.  And, I must say, that I'm happy I did.

The shearling-lined Dark Brown Softcalf is just as advertised, the outside leather is buttery soft and the inside is cozy warm - lined in high-quality shearling lambskin.  It's made on the 'Hero' last, which I think is one of the most popular, and is nice and sleek, giving the boot a streamlined dressier appearance

The Unboxing: 
These boots were very well packaged, as one would expect for shoes/boots in this price range, including cloth dust bags.

First wearings:
The fit for these size 10UK/11US/44EU boots is spot-on, Meermin has indicated that adjustments have been made for the Lambskin shearling lining so that you'll have no need to size up - just order these boots in your standard shoe size and they'll fit properly.

Needless to, although I will restate it again, these boots are super comfortable and super cozy right out of the box.  They look fantastic.  I must confess that within a day of their arrival, I spend about 2 hours shoveling snow in them, which being dress boots are not really what they were designed for, they they did work marvelously and were none the worst for wear.

And in their natural habitat:

Newly arrived Harris Tweed Half-Norfolk Jacket

Hello there tweed lovers, I know it's been a while since I have posted, although I have been posting regularly on Facebook and on Instagram.  I'm trying to organize myself to make more blog posts here, but work has been a bit crazy of late.  However, nothing will shake me out of my lethargy like the arrival of a new (to me) Harris Tweed jacket!  This, like many others in my collection, was purchased from Mr. E. Bay's UK site and I am happy to say that it appears to be in virtually unworn condition and so after a quick trip to my alterations tailor to have the sleeve let down by 3cm, it's feeling and looking good on. To see my guide to buying pre-worn jackets online, please follow this link: https://thelandlessgentry.blogspot.com/2018/02/closeup-harris-tweed-vintage-green.html

The Details:
This jacket has just about all the bells and whistles that I look for in a Half-Norfolk tweed:

• Leather buttons
• Swingarm shoulder pleats
• Neck latch
• 3 button front
• Side vents
• Beautifully scalloped and buttoned pocket flaps
• 3 outside expandable patch pockets
• Suede leather button reinforcements
• Suede elbow patches

The only items that I wish were there but aren't are the belted back detail and functional cuff buttons (surgeon cuffs).  But in this instance, will all the other items included on the list, it seems greedy to hold the absents of these last to items against this marvelous tweed.

The Lining:
This jacket was made by Paul Rosen London for the store Anson's and looks to be in total extremely well made and the overall fit (for me at least) is very good now that the sleeves have been let down.  The lining is in excellent nick and looks new.  As I said, I think this jacket cannot have more than a handful of wears.

The Weave Close-ups:
Provided for my own enjoyment and for that of my tweed obsessed brethren: The pattern of the green herringbone Harris Tweed features a rust orange and bottle green overcheck which is very subtle. The overall weave has so many colors incorporated, I am actually finding it difficult to count them all.